Siberia's Ice Road Truckers: 'It's Like A Way Of Life'

Siberia's ice road truckers may not have the same celebrity status as their North American counterparts, but one Russian journalist says their lives are at least as extreme.

Some spend up to a month at a time travelling by convoy through the snowy mountains of Russia’s most northeasterly administrative region, Chukotka, by winter road.

Bolot Bochkarev is a photographer, travel guide and writer living in Yakutsk. He also has a brother who spends up to a month at a time on the ice road.

Last month, he visited some truckers in the city who were tuning up their rigs before heading deep into the Siberian wilds.

"It’s like a way of life, to be somewhere on the road and to meet challenges every day,” Bochkarev says.

The region's single all-weather road, the Kolyma Highway, stretches over 2,000 kilometres between the city of Yakutsk on the Lena River and the city of Magadan on the Sea of Okhotsk. It’s also known as the Road of Bones because it was built by slave labour during the height of the Gulag era under Stalin. The bones of those who died were built into the road rather than buried.

“It’s still thick with history,” Bochkarev says.

The road was never fully completed; parts of the journey required a ferry or winter travel on river ice. For many years, it was a route travelled by adventurers only, many of whom made the trip by motorbike.

In recent years, the Russian government has maintained the road year round, making the road an important transportation route in Russia's far east.

But there are still roads in the area that are only passable in winter, when rivers are frozen.

“In the middle of the road, there is a settlement, Ust-Nera,” Bochkarev says. “From there there is a winter road that goes right to the Arctic Zone, to the polar circle and even to Chukotka.”

Bochkarev says the winter road is about 1,000 kilometres long. It’s used to bring food, goods, construction materials and other supplies to the towns and villages that otherwise rely on air and river travel.

“Anything can happen on this part of the road,” Bochkarev says.

Ice truckers 'very cool guys'

Bochkarev says he was drawn to the ice road truckers because he likes to tell stories about regular people who live in extreme conditions.

“I think they’re very cool guys," he says. "Very great people."

Bochkarev says few of the truckers use satellite phones. Instead, they carry walkie-talkies so they can at least chat with one another during long drives.

“They usually travel in a group, like four or five trucks,” Bochkarev explains. “If one will be stuck, another will come and help and get him from the ice track, for instance. They can only rely on each other.”

As for the scenery on the Russian ice roads, Bochkarev says, “It’s like Canada, I guess. Big mountains, high trees, very snowy.”

But, he adds, “it’s usually very cold up there, like –60 C is something regular. The big difference might be only extreme weather conditions.”

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The Chicago Skyline sits as a backdrop as fog drifts across Monroe Harbor with temperatures well below zero and wind chills expected to reach 40 to 50 below, Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, in Chicago. A whirlpool of frigid, dense air known as a "polar vortex" descended Monday into much of the U.S. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

A Delta plane is deiced at Chicago Midway International Airport Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, in Chicago. The bitter weather comes after a heavy snowstorm hit much of the region last week. More than 400 flights were cancelled at Chicago's airports Monday.(AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

In this Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014 photo provided by the Chicago Zoological Society, Anana, a polar bear at Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Ill., seems to be enjoy the snow and frigid temperature blowing through the Chicago area. The zoo was closed Monday, Jan . 6 due to the snowstorm and sub-zero temperatures and plans to reopen Tuesday. It was only the fourth time in Brookfield Zoo's history dating back to 1934 that it has closed due to severe weather conditions. (AP Photo/Chicago Zoological Society, Jim Schulz)

Ice covers rocks and brush on the break wall at Edgewater Park in Cleveland Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014. An official low of -11 degrees broke the 130-year-old record for the date as cold polar air spread from the Midwest to southern and eastern parts of the U.S. and eastern Canada. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Frost patterns are formed on the ground next to a sewer drain Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014, in Paducah, Ky. Temperatures were expected to rise into the teens Tuesday during the daylight hours, providing Kentucky with a slight warming trend as brutally cold air still gripped the state for a second day. (AP Photo/Stephen Lance Dennee)

People bundle up against the cold, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014, in New York. Frigid air that snapped decades-old records will make venturing outside dangerous in southern and eastern parts of the U.S. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

A man walks past a snow encrusted bicycle with wind chills nearing minus 30 Fahrenheit on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014, in downtown Chicago. Dangerously cold polar air snapped decades-old records as it spread Tuesday from the Midwest to southern and eastern parts of the U.S. and eastern Canada, making it hazardous to venture outside and keeping many schools and businesses closed. (AP Photo/Andrew A. Nelles)

Commuters depart from Union Station with wind chills nearing minus 30 Fahrenheit on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014, in downtown Chicago. Dangerously cold polar air snapped decades-old records as it spread Tuesday from the Midwest to southern and eastern parts of the U.S. and eastern Canada, making it hazardous to venture outside and keeping many schools and businesses closed. (AP Photo/Andrew A. Nelles)

A commuter departs from Union Station with wind chills nearing minus 30 Fahrenheit on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014, in downtown Chicago. Dangerously cold polar air snapped decades-old records as it spread Tuesday from the Midwest to southern and eastern parts of the U.S. and eastern Canada, making it hazardous to venture outside and keeping many schools and businesses closed. (AP Photo/Andrew A. Nelles)

A homeless man in a wheelchair sleeps in an alley as temperatures dipped into the single digits Fahrenheit and minus degrees with the wind chill on January 7, 2014 in Washington, DC. A blast of bone-chilling cold reaching lows not seen in two decades gripped the United States early Tuesday, snarling air travel, closing schools and prompting calls for people to stay inside. Superlatives of cold-talk abounded, even in midwestern states used to chest-high snow and bitter cold, as the National Weather Service said the deep freeze was making its way east. AFP PHOTO / Karen BLEIER (Photo credit should read KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman bundled against the cold walks past a homeless man in McPherson Square as temperatures dipped into the single digits Fahrenheit and minus degrees with the wind chill on January 7, 2014 in Washington, DC. A blast of bone-chilling cold reaching lows not seen in two decades gripped the United States early Tuesday, snarling air travel, closing schools and prompting calls for people to stay inside. Superlatives of cold-talk abounded, even in midwestern states used to chest-high snow and bitter cold, as the National Weather Service said the deep freeze was making its way east. AFP PHOTO / Karen BLEIER (Photo credit should read KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 07: A woman tries to stay warm against the frigid cold while waiting for a bus in Coney Island in Brooklyn on January 7, 2014 in New York, United States. A Òpolar vortexÓ carrying Arctic air and wind gusts of up to 50 mph has engulfed New York City and much of the Northeast making for life threatening weather conditions. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Steam rises from the tops of buildings in the Chicago skyline Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, as a whirlpool of frigid, dense air known as a "polar vortex" descended on the city. Much of the U.S. has been hit with a dangerous cold that could break decades-old records with wind chill warnings stretching from Montana to Alabama. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

Workers clear sidewalks of snow on Fifth Avenue, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014, in New York. New York City public schools were closed Friday after up to 7 inches of snow fell by morning in the first snowstorm of the winter. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

A light dusting of snow from an overnight storm covers the statutes at the Korean War Memorial in Washington early Friday morning Jan. 3, 2014. After a storm blew through the Washington region overnight, roads are being cleared and many schools systems are closed. The federal government and the District of Columbia government will be open Friday, but workers have the option to take leave or telework. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

Snowmen sit in front of the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014, after a winter snow storm in the nation's capital. After a storm blew through the Washington region overnight, roads are being cleared and many schools systems are closed. The federal government and the District of Columbia government will be open Friday, but workers have the option to take leave or telework. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio talks to reporters while shoveling the sidewalk in front of his house in New York, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. New York City public schools were closed Friday after up to 7 inches of snow fell by morning in the first snowstorm of the winter - and the first test of new Mayor Bill de Blasio hours after he was sworn in. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Men stand in the middle of a snowy street in New York, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. New York City public schools were closed Friday after up to 7 inches of snow fell by morning in the first snowstorm of the winter - and the first test of new Mayor Bill de Blasio hours after he was sworn in. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A man clears snow from a vehicle on Friday, Jan. 3, 2014, in Albany, N.Y. A winter storm slammed into the U.S. Northeast with howling winds and frigid cold, dumping nearly two feet (60 centimeters) of snow in some parts and whipping up blizzard-like conditions Friday. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Pedestrians brave wind and snow as they cross Fifth Avenue, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014, in New York. New York City public schools were closed Friday after up to 7 inches of snow fell by morning in the first snowstorm of the winter. A winter storm slammed into the U.S. Northeast with howling winds and frigid cold, dumping nearly 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow in some parts and whipping up blizzard-like conditions Friday. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Bruce Penland pulls a sled carrying his daughter Jordan on an ice-covered Back Street in Accomac, Va. on Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. The Eastern Shore of Virginia woke to a dusting of snow with icy roads and below freezing temperatures. (AP Photo/Eastern Shore News, Jay Diem) NO SALES

A man clears a path in his driveway in Norwell, Mass., Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. A winter storm slammed into the U.S. Northeast with howling winds and frigid cold, dumping nearly 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow in some parts and whipping up blizzard-like conditions Friday. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Brooke Dolan clears snow on her property in Boxford, Mass. Friday, Jan. 3, 2014, where snow totals of 23 inches were reported. A winter storm that dropped nearly 2 feet of snow just north of Boston, temporarily shut down major highways in New York and Pennsylvania and forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights nationwide menaced the Northeast on Friday with howling winds and dangerously cold temperatures. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

US Postal Service letter carrier Danny Kim clears snow and ice as he climbs on the hood of his mail delivery truck in the parking lot at the U.S. Post Office in Bethesda, Md., Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. Kim said that despite the storm resulting in many closing of local school systems, he and his colleagues were working on an unchanged schedule. A winter storm that swept across the Midwest this week blew through the Northeast and its biggest cities on Friday, producing more than a foot of snow in spots, giving rise to wind gusts that threatened trees and power lines, and leaving bone-chilling cold in its wake. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

A man clears a sidewalk in blizzard conditions in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. The region is in the grip of unseasonably cold temperatures with heavy snow and high winds. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Andrew Vaughan)

Wipers, lifted off windshields ahead of the snow storm, protrude from snow covered cars at a car dealership in Bethesda, Md., Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. A winter storm that swept across the Midwest this week blew through the Northeast and its biggest cities on Friday, producing more than a foot of snow in spots, giving rise to wind gusts that threatened trees and power lines, and leaving bone-chilling cold in its wake. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

A pedestrians braves the blizzard conditions in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. The region is in the grip of unseasonably cold temperatures with heavy snow and high winds. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Andrew Vaughan)

Cars are covered by snow in rental car parking lot at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. Another one to three inches of snow could fall across the Chicago metro area today with even more falling in the southern part of the region, according to the National Weather Service. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Michelle Kottke shovels snow with the help of her dog Harlee in Barrington, Ill., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. The New Year's Day snow storm stretched into Thursday for parts of Illinois, bringing double-digit snow totals to the suburbs of Chicago. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Bob Chwedyk)

David Paluch brushes off snow from his truck in front of his home in Barrington, Ill., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. The New Year's Day snow storm stretched into Thursday for parts of Illinois, bringing double-digit snow totals to the suburbs of Chicago. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Bob Chwedyk)

A man uses a front end loader to pile up snow at Fullersburg Woods in Oak Brook, Ill., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. The New Year's Day snow storm stretched into Thursday for parts of Illinois, bringing double-digit snow totals to the suburbs of Chicago. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Bob Chwedyk)

A man uses a snowblower to clear his driveway in North Andover, Mass. Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014, as snow continues to fall into the evening. Forecasters have predicted 18-24 inches of snow for some areas north of Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Sanitation trucks mounted with snow plows are parked on the west side of Manhattan in New York, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. The National Weather Service is forecasting 4 to 8 inches of snow overnight in the city. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

Snow falls in the Cultural District of downtown Pittsburgh during evening rush hour on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. A storm expected to bring more than a foot of snow, stiff winds and punishing cold pushed into the Northeast on Thursday, extending Christmas break for some students while posing the first test for New York's new mayor and perhaps the last challenge for Boston's outgoing one. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Kevin Pokorny works on his third house clearing snow for neighbors in Barrington, Ill., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. The New Year's Day snow storm stretched into Thursday for parts of Illinois, bringing double-digit snow totals to the suburbs of Chicago. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Bob Chwedyk)

Jessica Tomasiewicz, left, and her husband Kevin jog in the snow in Mount Prospect, Ill., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. The New Year's Day snow storm stretched into Thursday for parts of Illinois, bringing double-digit snow totals to the suburbs of Chicago. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Joe Lewnard)

Bill Murray shovels snow from the sidewalk in front of his wife's vision care center in Mount Prospect, Ill., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. The New Year's Day snow storm stretched into Thursday for parts of Illinois, bringing double-digit snow totals to the suburbs of Chicago. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Joe Lewnard)

People walk through a cold and snowy Washington Park on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014, in Albany, N.Y. Up to 5 inches of snow already had fallen in eastern New York by Thursday morning, but the National Weather Service said some areas from Buffalo to Albany could get a total of up to 14 inches by the time the coastal storm moved out Friday morning. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

A commuter stops his car on the snowy road as he checks his wiper blades in Chicago, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. Another one to three inches of snow could fall across the Chicago metro area Thursday with even more falling in the southern part of the region, according to the National Weather Service. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)